Asthma and COPD Awareness breathe with ease sm and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

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1 Asthma and COPD Awareness breathe with ease sm and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Medicare Newsletter Spring 2012 Getting Rid of Mold There are many types of molds. Molds will not grow without water or moisture. They can be found indoors and outdoors. Mold spores are very tiny and lightweight which makes it easy for them to travel through the air. Mold can cause health problems for all people. It is important to stay away from mold if you have asthma. It could trigger an asthma attack. Mold can cause: Coughing Throat, eye, and skin problems Wheezing Breathing problems for people who have asthma You can prevent and manage indoor mold growth by controlling indoor moisture. The basic rule is if you can see or smell mold, then take steps to remove the mold from your home and get rid of the excess moisture How to remove mold: Wear mask, gloves and goggles while removing mold 1. Open windows and doors for fresh air before you start to clean up 2. Try to determine the source of the moisture and fix it. 3. Scrub mold off hard surfaces with hot soapy water. 4. Allow to 5. dry 6. Rinse with clean water and dry quickly 7. Bag and get rid of any items that have mold on them such as rags, paper, leaves, etc. For others wash in hot soapy water. If you have a lot of mold damage, you may want to hire an expert in mold clean-up. Note to Renters: You should report all plumbing leaks and moisture problems to your building manager right away. If you keep having water problems that are not being taken care of, you may want to call your local or state federal housing authorities. In This Issue Getting Rid of Mold pg 1 Traveling with Oxygen pg 2 Staying on a Schedule with Your Medication pg 2 Safe Exercise with COPD pg 3 Importance of a Healthy Weight pg 4 Spirometry Testing pg 5 Quit for Good pg 5 Nurse Advice Line pg 6 Need Help Quitting Smoking? If you need help quitting, call Molina Medicare s Smoke Free Program. Call for one-on-one help. For the hearing impaired, please call TTY/TDD or 711. You are receiving this newsletter as part of a Disease Management Program. If you do not want to receive this newsletter or participate in any Disease Management Program please let us know. Please call us at , TTY/ TDD A health plan with a Medicare contract A Coordinated Care plan with a Medicare advantage contract and a contract with the state Medicaid program. 1

2 Asthma and COPD Awareness Fall Spring Medicare Traveling with Oxygen With a little planning, you can still lead an active life and go anywhere you want! Here are some travel tips. Find out how long your portable oxygen supply will last. Allow for unexpected delays in your travel. Secure your oxygen unit. For example, in a car fasten it with a safety belt and shoulder harness. Set up an oxygen supply network. Before traveling a long distance, find oxygen suppliers along your travel route. Your local supplier may be able to help. Check with airlines before flying. Most airlines will not let you use your own oxygen on board. Your portable tanks must be emptied and stored as luggage. However, some airlines will provide oxygen for you if you ask before your flight. Have an oxygen supply ready when you get off the plane. Last of all, have a great time! Staying on a Schedule with Your Medication One great way to manage your COPD is to know what medicines you are taking and how they work. Staying on a schedule with your medication is important and can be hard when your schedule changes or gets busy. There are many different types of COPD medication. They come in the form of pills, vapors, powders, and liquids. What you are taking depends on your condition. Not everyone with COPD takes the same medication. Take your medicine as prescribed. Try your best to take it at the same time every day. Never stop taking your medicine without talking to your doctor first. Always take your medicine, even if you feel good. The medicine is what is helping. Get your prescriptions filled at the same pharmacy. Pick them up a week before your medicine runs out. Talk to your doctor if you have trouble getting to the pharmacy or have financial concerns about your medicine. Do not take a smaller dose to save money. You must take a full dose in order for the medicine to work. Here are some tips to remember to take your medicine: Take your medicine with other daily habits. For example, take them before you brush your teeth. Mark a calendar with a refill date. Set your watch alarm to remind you to take your medicine. Leave yourself a note on the bathroom mirror. Keep your medicine in a place where you will see it. Taking your medicine regularly can help you feel better. If you have questions, call your doctor! 2

3 Asthma and COPD Awareness Spring 2012 Medicare Safe Exercise with COPD You need to stay active while living with COPD. Your exercises do not have to be fancy or hard. They must be done safely and on a regular basis. Check with your provider before you start any exercise program. What kind of exercise is good for people with COPD? Stretching and breathing exercises, plus a daily walk, are a good start. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise because it is simple and can be done anywhere during any time of year. Try walking around your home, at the nearby mall, or at a local park. You should be doing the following exercises at least three times per week: Stretching relaxes you and makes you more flexible. It is also a good way to warm up before and cool down after exercising. Aerobic exercise allows your body to use oxygen better. Swimming, walking, climbing stairs and dancing are all great choices. Light weight training makes your muscles stronger so your breathing muscles do not have to work as hard. Tips of easy exercise: Talk to your provider before starting your exercise program. Your provider may advise you to use your inhaler before exercising or recommend using portable oxygen during your workouts. Pace yourself. No matter what kind of exercise you re doing, never rush! Take your time. Sit or lie down if you feel dizzy. Be patient. Start off slow. Over time, you can increase your activity level. Set goals. Setting a fitness goal is the first step to reaching it. If you want to be able to walk for 10 minutes without becoming breathless, make that your goal. Relax and think positive. Relaxation and a positive outlook can help you get the most out of exercising. Watch pollution levels and weather. Do not exercise outdoors if smog or pollution levels are high. Avoid exercising outside on days that are too cold, too hot, or too humid. Find exercises that are right for you. You are more likely to stick with an exercise program when it is something you enjoy. If you like to dance, sign-up for lessons. If you like to swim, check out the programs at your local pool. 3

4 Asthma and COPD Awareness Fall Spring Medicare Importance of a Healthy Weight Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, is a lung disease that makes it hard to breathe. If you have COPD, it is important to keep a healthy weight and eat well. If you have COPD and you are over or under weight, it is even harder to breathe. When you are overweight, your body needs more oxygen. This means your heart and lungs have to work very hard. This makes breathing even more difficult for someone with COPD. help you breathe. A healthy weight will help keep your breathing muscles strong. Eating well gives you more energy. If you have COPD, you need more energy to breathe than a healthy person. With proper nutrition, you will feel less tired and have more energy for daily activities. This will also help your body fight off infections. It can also prevent illnesses. Be sure to talk with your provider before you make changes to your diet. People with COPD often lose weight. This happens because they use a lot of energy to breathe. Just to breathe, a person with COPD burns 10 times the calories of the average person without COPD. When you lose weight, you can lose muscles including muscles that Talk to your provider about what a healthy weight is for you. Weigh yourself once or twice a week, or as often as your provider tells you to. Contact your provider if you gain or lose two pounds in one day or five pounds in one week. 4

5 Asthma and COPD Awareness Spring 2012 Medicare Spirometry Testing COPD means you have chronic bronchitis or emphysema, or a little bit of both. People with COPD have trouble breathing. A spirometry test measures breathing. It can often be done at the provider s office. It tells the provider how your lungs are working. It helps your provider decide how to best help you. A spirometry test is very short and simple. During a test, you will take a very deep breath and then breathe out as hard as you can, for as long as you can. Your provider may give you a soft nose clip so you breathe only from your mouth. You might take a quick breath in again. This is to see if there is anything blocking your breathing. You repeat the test three times to make sure it is right. When you take this test, it will give your doctors two important graphs. One shows the amount of air you can breathe in or out. The second shows the total amount of air you can breathe in and out. Spirometry is also used to check people with asthma. It measures how well the lungs work after exercise or breathing cold or dry air. Your provider can do this test to see how well a medicine is working. You do the test before taking your medicine. After taking the medicine, you do the test again. Then your provider can see how well it worked. Not all spirometers look the same. Not all are exactly alike. But they all measure the same things and they will all help your provider make the best treatment decisions for you. Quit for Good If you have not quit smoking, do it now! It is not too late to improve your quality of life and slow the progress of lung disease. It is the best thing you can do to live well with Diabetes and Heart Disease. Quitting may be the hardest, but the most rewarding, thing you will ever do. Nicotine is very addictive and people often try to stop two or three times before quitting for good. Studies have shown each time you quit you will become stronger and learn more about what it takes for you to quit for good. Molina Healthcare offers programs that can help you quit? There is no cost to Molina Medicare members. If you would like information on a program to help you stop smoking, call Molina Medicare s Smoke Free Program at

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